


Asylum in Akielos

by PeaceLilies



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4692095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceLilies/pseuds/PeaceLilies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few short pieces of what might occur with Laurent in Akielos, under the protection of the rightful king Damianos, risen from the dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Piece 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the one sneak peak scene CS Pacat posted about Damen and Laurent on her livejournal, that may or many not be in Kings Rising. They're not necessarily linear, just pieces I was inspired to write.

Laurent was a Prince seeking asylum in a country with precarious ties to his homeland, Damen having quickly dispensed with his brother. The tentative peace with Akielos and Vere had been forged by the Regent and Kastor, not Damianos and Laurent, and that peace had not been true. The Regent had intended on marching on Akielos, the King dispensed, Damen a slave, and Kastor on the throne. Akielos would have fallen apart very quickly. Back in Damen's hands, peace restored, his country was siding with the rebellious Crown Prince against all the might of the Regent's troops.

It had been easy for Damen to once again reunite the kyroi and squash any small rebellions. He was the rightful king, returning to take the throne, come back from the dead. And here was Laurent, seeking asylum, fighting for his life, for surely the Regent would not let him survive to ascend the throne if he were captured or his troops fell.

They stood just outside Damen’s rooms. The hall was made of stone, allowing a sort of natural coolness that settled in after the blazing heat of the day. It felt even colder, when faced by Laurent’s ice blue gaze. 

"Fuck me," Laurent demanded, his voice steady and low. His eyes were narrowed, his whole body rigid and tense. Damen watched him, on edge, shoulders squared. This was starting to feel less like a romantic liaison and more like a brawl.

Damen didn't doubt this was some kind of move from Laurent. They had said they would let the die fall where they would after they had last departed. 

Damen did not pity him. He did not completely understand Laurent. He...admitted he had feelings for him, admired him...but he still played games and it was a struggle for Damen to keep up. He didn't doubt Laurent's demand for sex was because he wanted to hurt Damen. At least...he suspected that was the case. What Damen wouldn't give to be able to share that with Laurent again...but not like this.

"No," Damen said, softening, "not like this."

Laurent stared at him, nearly unblinking. Damen's heart stuttered painfully in his chest.

"Coward," Laurent replied smoothly and Damen only shook his head.

"We said we would let the pieces fall where they may...this is where they have fallen."

"At an impasse?" Laurent replied and Damen only nodded.

They were equals now, Laurent had no power over Damen, not in any external way. In fact, Damen out-ranked Laurent, as he was King.

And yet...he felt as powerless as ever.

Laurent looked as he had the last time Damen had taken liberties. He had caught a slap and gotten flogged for it. No doubt Laurent would verbally flay him. But he kept his tongue.

"I knew," he said suddenly, still icy and sure, his face a blank mask, "I knew who you were the moment I saw you."

Damen nodded once.

"I'm sorry," he said, "truly..."

Laurent said nothing for a long moment.

"Your apologies mean nothing to me. This, means nothing to me. You had your one day. A kingdom or that. You chose and so did I," he replied.

Damen bowed his head, as if in mourning. He looked back up at Laurent.

"Your highness may stay in Akielos as long as he likes with the full backing of my armies. You will be treated with that of your status as Crown Prince. I am at your disposal. Send for me whenever you wish," Damen said, the only words he could offer. The decision of how they would proceed was up to Laurent. He would help fight his war.

Laurent stood there, taking it in. Neither his expression nor his posture had changed. He gave a low bow, stilted, as if resistant.

"Thank you, your majesty," he replied.


	2. Piece 2

"I meant it...when I said I missed you...and our conversations," Laurent said suddenly. He had been pacing, his back now turned. He was looking out the window of Damen's counsel hall. It overlooked the palace gardens and just beyond, the sea. It was a clear, beautiful day. They had been talking strategy.

Damen reclined in a seat at the table where various maps were laid out, watching Laurent curiously.

"I'm surprised you remember what you said," Damen replied with a small smile, "I was concerned for you. You’d had quite a bit of wine…"

Laurent shook his head. He did not look like he had been quite drunk the night before and suffering from it today. In fact, he looked very well. Beautiful even.

"That is...unnecessary," he said, pausing, "I’m not a child. I can care for myself.” 

He paused again, “but thank you for your concern."

Laurent kept staring, keeping his back to Damen. Damen stood, coming over to him, keeping his distance.

For a moment, Laurent looked like the child he once was, admiring the view from the palace in Ios. Damen imagined that was how he looked when he read; captivated, taking it all in. Damen blinked, and the moment was gone.

Laurent looked at him, blue eyes like cold steel.

"It's quite beautiful...Akielos. In a barbaric, unpolished sort of way," he said.

Damen smiled and tilted his head.

"Thank you. You're too kind," he said, which was, quite obviously, a very accurate statement.

They both stood, two long strides apart, admiring their respective views. Laurent, the sea, and Damen...Laurent.

He wasn't quite sure why he was torturing himself like this. Whatever could have been...was impossible. Improbable.

A kingdom...or this.

They could not have both. And yet...

"I miss you, too...I miss, well, almost all of it."

Laurent nodded.

"I can imagine," he said, "that not all of it was quite pleasant."

Damen shook his head.

"And still...I think of the traveling and training as...memorable. Fun. It was fun for me. We...were a good team."

Laurent nodded again and said nothing.

They stood in silence a bit longer before Damen reached out, touching Laurent's fingers. Laurent turned to him and something subtle shifted in his expression.

"No one needs to know, if you don't wish them to," Damen murmured, feeling, ridiculously bold and possibly suicidal.

Laurent blinked once.

"Since when have I much cared about what people have said or thought about me?" he replied. He shook his hand from Damen’s fingers, brought his hand to his side and turned to face him head on. 

“I am no one’s secret, certainly not yours. I am not a mistress you keep hidden,” Laurent hissed. Damen had seen, surprisingly, very little of Laurent’s true ire. It was cold and taut and, almost statuesque. 

Damen’s stomach dropped, as if he’d jumped from a cliff and was freefalling before hitting the water. 

“That wasn’t…what I meant…” he said. 

“Then what, exactly, are you getting at, Your Majesty?” Laurent replied. 

Damen blinked, taking a breath, and standing up straight. He was, standing at his full height, nearly a head taller than Laurent. He was broader in the shoulders, more muscular, and was a far more seasoned soldier, if only due to his age. It fascinated him that he would bring his full physicality into the room, where he was working against one of the most calculating, clever, and caustic minds in the entirety of the world. 

“What happened between us meant a great deal to me,” Damen blurted, floundering. He was never good with words. He was far better with his actions. But he was dealing with Laurent and it was his mind you had to appeal to. 

“I…I struggled with my admiration for you. My reasons for wanting to help you were selfish at first. Of course I wanted to escape and return home. I had been betrayed and I certainly wasn’t much fond of you but…even so…” His fists were balled and he looked down at them, at the gold cuff he still wore…Laurent arched one delicate eyebrow briefly. The only movement he made. 

“Well isn’t it obvious to you? Hasn’t it always been? You knew who I was. I wanted to keep my identity secret because I feared for my life and I continued to lie…because I was afraid of betraying you. Why would I want to destroy the connection we had by revealing myself? You trusted me. It was more than I could have ever asked for, knowing that. You listened to me. I wanted to keep you safe and I wanted you to win. I still do. You impressed me…but you were always impressive.” 

Damen swallowed, looking up at Laurent. He had not moved, his expression unchanged. He was like marble, perfectly, flawlessly sculptured and still. The only thing that moved was a slip of the blond hair of his fringe from a breeze through the window. 

“I miss what we had…it’s never like that…unless it’s with the right person,” Damen finished, feeling flushed and slightly ill. 

Laurent only blinked, considering. Damen wasn’t expecting a grand gesture or tears. He wasn’t expecting much at all. He stood his ground firmly. 

“The decision is yours,” he said, “whether or not you decide to pursue this. You said it meant nothing to you and I have no reason to not believe your word. But if you meant what you said when you said you missed me, then I have to believe you’ll consider it. Regardless, whatever you decide…I will still ride with you to face the Regent.” 

Damen bowed his head slightly, a gesture of respect, and turned away, leaving Laurent to his thoughts.


	3. Piece 3

Damen sat on the floor of his room, checking over his armor. It didn’t need the extra attention, having been under dutiful and scrupulous upkeep by the servants. 

He did not feel completely at home in the room that had belonged to all the rulers of Akielos before him. Kastor and Jokaste had shared this room and the idea made Damen feel, strange, like what had once been sacred space was now tainted. 

The bed had been destroyed, the rooms cleansed, everything replaced with Damen’s things (the ones that had been salvaged anyway) or new items gifted from the various Kyros or ones the Keeper of the House might have thought would add a nice touch. 

Damen had missed Akielos greatly and he had taken up the mantle of King with all the grace and reverence that the position was due and to which was his birthright. This was his place, his home, his people, his country. But despite the gladness, he still felt the ‘otherness’ that he possessed. Experience and perception that no one would understand.   
It was lonely. 

He still thought of Laurent, down the long corridor in the wing reserved for royal guests to Akielos, and wondered where they were to go from here. There was still a war to be won and the future was uncertain. 

Damen moved to the last bit of armor, stopping when a knock came to his door. He looked up, brows furrowed. He had strictly told his guard that he would not be disturbed unless there was urgent business. The knock was not one of urgency. 

It came again, a little louder this time. 

Damen stood up, quietly moving to the door. 

“It’s me,” came a hushed, familiar voice from the other side of the door, “are you just going to stand there and listen or let me in?”

Damen bit his lip against a laugh. He opened the door, leaning against the door jam in nothing but his linen chiton.

Laurent had been leaning in, in order to be heard through the door without raising his voice, and nearly fell into Damen’s chest. He straightened and looked up at Damen, a light pink blooming in his cheeks. 

Damen relaxed from his pose, opening the door, ushering Laurent in. 

“Your Highness,” he said warmly. 

Laurent swept in and Damen closed the door behind him, after looking out into the corridor for his guards. 

“Did you send my men on a wild goose chase so you could sneak into my room?” he asked, turning from the door to find Laurent taking a curious walk around.   
He looked at Damen and raised an eyebrow. 

“And what if I did?” he asked. 

Damen chuckled and shook his head. He went back to his task, allowing Laurent to take his time and warm up before he explained what he was doing in Damen’s bedchamber in the middle of the night. 

Laurent explored the room, detached, aloof, before coming to stand in front of Damen, who was putting his armor away. He turned, curious, smiling a little. 

“I’ve…made my decision,” Laurent said, serious. 

Damen nodded. 

“For now, I would like us to be…as we had been. Before I left at Ravenel,” Laurent said, his eyes never leaving Damen’s. 

“It’s foolish to make promises I cannot keep. I don’t know what will happen to me when we fight this war or what will happen to you. I can’t predict the future and I promise you nothing if I win,” he continued, “but…for now.”

Damen was surprised at the elation that swept through him. The relief. 

He smiled. 

Laurent just stood there, still serious but something in his eyes, melting away the ice to show the flowing current underneath. 

“Do you understand? It’s…only for now. Circumstances will change and so will we.” 

Damen nodded. 

“I understand,” he said. And he did. Laurent was right. Always thinking and planning as far ahead as he was able. It was the best decision he could make with the knowledge he had. Damen accepted that. It was the most they could do in the situation they were in. 

Laurent relaxed slightly, the barest of easing. 

“Nothing you don’t want,” Damen said, smiling softly and Laurent closed the distance between them. He reached out one long fingered hand and rested it gently against Damen’s collar bone. He traced down his sternum and back up, across the clavicle to his scar. Damen was sure he could feel the beating of his heart. 

Laurent’s hand traveled over the ridge of his shoulder, up his neck, curving around the back of his head, into his hair, fisting into the curls and forcing Damen to lean down.

Laurent kissed him softly, tentatively. It was so familiar, shy and warm, exploratory. Damen rested his hands on Laurent’s hips. He didn’t push or pull, just rested and they kissed. 

The sensation of those first few kisses made Damen want to weep. 

He had kissed these lips, felt these hands. He’d held this man. He’d been inside him. And it was like that again, like he had been allowed entrance into the most vulnerable of places.

Laurent shared nothing with no one. How privileged one must be to experience Laurent in all forms of himself. 

They broke away and looked at each other. Laurent’s eyes were dark, brimmed with gold. 

Damen gently curved his hand around Laurent’s, smiling softly, flirtatious. Laurent held his hand and smiled a little in return. 

“You may call me by my given name,” Damen said, chuckling a little and Laurent’s cheeks colored, though he did chuckle. 

“Damianos,” Laurent said, trying for the Akielon pronunciation, though his Veretian accent came through a little. It was pleasant to hear the name on his lips. 

“Those close to me call me Damen,” Damen replied. 

Laurent looked at him, always in the eye, and considered this. He turned somewhat serious again, tilting his head, his free hand coming up to cup Damen’s cheek, his thumb gently stroking his skin. 

The gesture was unexpected but Damen closed his eyes and leaned into Laurent’s hand. 

“Damen…” he said, voice lowered, testing. 

“Laurent,” came the answer, just as soft, as if on a breath. 

They stayed like that for a long time, simply breathing. 

“Come to bed,” Damen said, opening his eyes. Laurent nodded, walking with him. Damen turned, flopping backward onto the bed and Laurent slid in next to him, far more graceful. 

“It’s larger than mine,” Laurent said, spreading out, “there’s more room for us both.”

Damen laughed, turning onto his side to watch Laurent, who was smiling a little. 

He was wearing a night shirt and pants, seeming to have come to Damen’s door barefoot. Damen knocked their feet together and Laurent huffed. He rolled onto his side, facing Damen, reaching out again. He gently rested a hand on the curve of his bicep, his thumb gently stroking his skin. Damen smiled and flexed a little under Laurent’s hand, which got him quirked lips in response. 

Damen moved closer, gently tugging at the lacing of Laurent’s shirt. They were already partly undone and he loosened them further. Laurent watched idly, lifting his chin when Damen leaned in to nuzzle him. He sighed, closing his eyes, his pulse fluttering against Damen’s lips. 

Damen remembered the way Laurent had opened up for soft, slow kisses. He took his time, kissing his neck, the spot between his neck and jaw, his shoulder. He felt Laurent shudder a breath, his skin warm, slightly flushed. 

“Well,” Laurent murmured, his grip tightening on Damen’s arm. Damen smiled.


End file.
